


Sunday Dinner

by Elri



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Not A Feel Good Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 04:59:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2256696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elri/pseuds/Elri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What you call the Apocalypse, I used to call Sunday Dinner</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunday Dinner

_‘Not again.’_ Gabriel shut the door to the downstairs closet and pressed his back against it, sliding down to the floor.  _‘Why won’t they stop, please!’_  Of course, he already knew why, he just didn’t know what to do about it. There were a lot of people at fault but when it came right down to it, it was all Dad’s fault. Gabe loved his father, that hadn’t changed, but how could he have let this happen? How could he have had another child with a woman they’ve never met and then not tell them about it for three years? Luke said he’d done it on purpose, that Dad was being selfish. But Luke was just being a bitter eighteen year old, right? He loved their father more than any of them and had taken it the worst when Dad told them about his second family.

Michael was twenty-one, all grown up in his own mind. He’d always been the most loyal son: top of his class at Dad’s old school, staying at home to take care of his brothers while Dad was busy being a single, working parent; and he was certainly living up to that title. His constant support of their father hadn’t faltered once. Gabriel was only thirteen, all he knew was that he didn’t know how to handle the feelings of betrayal and hurt that were tearing him up inside. The worst part for him though, was that he didn’t know who he could turn to anymore. Dad had no idea what was going on, Luke didn’t act out while he was home. But this was one of the every other weekends Dad had elected to spend with his second family. The brothers were home alone with each other until he got back late that night.

The first weekend Dad had gone Luke had stayed in his room. Michael had dragged Gabriel into having Sunday Dinner but it wasn’t the same. The next time Michael had tried getting Luke out of his room. It ended in a screaming match upstairs while Gabe hunkered down in the kitchen and took care of his own dinner. The screaming became a regular thing all too quickly.  Luke vented his bitterness on anyone who was dumb enough to pick a fight (Michael). Michael called Luke’s behavior ‘deliberately rebellious’ and ‘insubordinate’ (to which Luke replied that they weren’t ‘a goddamn garrison’).

Speak of the devil, Luke’s footstomps could be heard from across the house as he stormed upstairs, this week’s shouting apparently done for the night. Gabriel peeked through the old-fashioned keyhole; he could just about make out Michael’s figure flying after Luke. Gabe’s eye trailed after the young man as he went upstairs and there was a sigh before he pushed off the door,  _‘When is this going to stop?’_

“When are you going to pull your head out of your ass!?” Michael’s voice hit him in the chest and knocked the wind out of him as he tried to remind himself there was no way his brother had heard that.

“Why should I? I think I have a right to be angry! One of us has to be, we can’t  _all_  be the golden boy.” Luke’s slight flair for the dramatic came out when he started getting emotional.

“Y’know it wouldn’t kill you to actually  _try_  to not be such a dick all the time.”

_'He’s not the only one acting like a dickbag.’_

“Oh  _please_ ,” Gabriel snorted at how much lip Luke managed to fit in one word, “you’re a fine one to talk.”

It quickly deteriorated from there until they were left trying to see who could be the loudest. Neither of them bothered trying to actually be heard anymore. Gabriel slipped into back corner of his shadowed haven to wait for the wrath to subside. One time Michael and Luke had been fighting in the front hall so he’d escaped to the attic and come out with the least moth-eaten pillow he could find in case he fell asleep in the closet again. Luckily he’d woken up and gone upstairs before Dad came home and found him.

He’d stopped trying to count the number of times something like that had happened. The number of times he’d just been forgotten. His face scrunched up with anger. Hot tears began welling up but Gabriel shut his eyes tightly, refusing to cry. Softly, he began humming to try and distract himself. When he was almost finished with ‘Stairway to Heaven’ he heard a car pull into the driveway. He stuck his head out and listened intently, barely hearing the voices outside over the ones upstairs, but when a key turned in the lock he sprang out, “Dad!”

The shouts upstairs cut off and Michael appeared at the top of the stairs, “Gabe?”

Chuck opened the door just in time to kneel down and catch Gabriel bolting into his arms, “Hey buddy, what’s up?”

“You’re home early!”

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

Luke had come out of his room when he heard Michael stop shouting and the door open. Now he stepped around Michael and darted down the stairs to join everyone else. Michael came down slower, like he was waiting for something to happen.

“Nothing,” Luke stayed a few feet back, suspicious of their dad’s sudden arrival.

“Then why was Gabriel hiding in the closet?”

Luke looked from Chuck, to the open closet door, to Gabe, “Gabe?”

“It’s nothing,” Gabriel said quickly, “Why are you home early?”

Chuck gave Luke a look that said they’d be talking later, then turned his attention to Gabriel, “I thought it was time we had Sunday Dinner as a family.”

“What do you-” Gabe’s question cut off as Chuck stood and stepped back to hold the door open for…

Her. Mary.

Her son, Adam, was asleep in her arms. His blonde hair was a perfect combination of Mary’s light colors and Chuck’s dark brown. It was actually fairly close to Gabriel’s color, a stark reminder that they were related.

The smile on Mary’s face was hesitant, but hopeful. “Hello boys.”

The stillness that had gripped the room split. Luke whirled around to face Michael, “You knew.”

“Luke…” Michael managed to almost look apologetic.

Luke turned on his father next, “How could you?”

“Luke!” It was shock more than anything that caused Chuck to raise his voice.

“Dad,” Michael shifted the focus back towards himself and nodded at the woman still outside the door.

Gabriel turned away and shut the closet door while Chuck gently brought Mary inside. “Michael, why don’t you and Gabe take Mary to the kitchen and start putting together something for dinner?”

“Won’t matter; if you guys start yelling we’ll hear you from across the house.” Gabriel froze, still facing away from everyone else. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Without turning around he knew they were all staring at him.

“Gabe-” That was as far as Chuck got before Gabriel bolted.

He sprinted across the hall, through to the kitchen, and out the side door. There were voices and footsteps behind him but he didn’t stop and they couldn’t catch up. Gabriel ran around to the backyard tree and scrambled up into the branches until he was safely out of sight.

Some nights, after Luke and Michael had finished their blow ups and shut themselves in their rooms, Gabriel would go out running on the paths that ran through the woods behind the house. They lived far enough away from their closest neighbors that no one would see him and report a trespasser. He always made it back before dark which was much easier now during the summer months. Now, however, he stayed in the tree until the others went inside before making his way over to the nearest bedroom window: Luke’s. The screen had secretly been removed when Luke began sneaking out four years ago so it was a small feat for Gabriel to push up the window and tumble in as silently as possible.

Someone behind him cleared their throat as he was sliding the window shut. By some miracle Gabe managed to not shriek and slam the window when he jumped out of his skin.

“Get enough fresh air?”

Gabriel spun around, “Luke!”

“Don’t sound too surprised, it is my room after all.”

“I thought you’d be with the others.”

“Why bother? Your diversion gave me an escape and without shoes I didn’t think you’d be going far anyways. It made more sense to come unlock my window, don’t you think?” Luke grinned at Gabriel’s wide eyes, “Don’t forget, you learned all your tricks from me, little brother.”

Footsteps on the stairs, a knock on the door, “Luke?” Dad.

With a smirk, Luke winked and jerked his head towards the bed, giving Gabriel just enough time to get under before opening the door. “What’s up?”

“You want to talk about what happened downstairs?”

“Not really but I get the feeling that you do.” Luke’s feet backed up and there was an added weight above Gabriel.

Chuck’s shoes came into view and the door clicked before he took a seat at Luke’s desk. “What’s going on, Luke? What am I missing?”

“Since you’re asking me, I don’t think you’re missing anything. Looks like you’ve got everything you want.”

“Look, I know you don’t like Mary, I get that-“

“Do you now? Are you finally cluing in to that? Because it seems to me that if you really got it, she wouldn’t be here.”

“She’s family now, and so is Adam.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I’m not asking you to forgive me for whatever you think I did wrong, I just want you to accept them as part of our family.”

“Father,” Luke pleaded, “I can’t. I can’t live with them here!”

“Then leave.” The cold words hit the air hard and froze the entire room.

“So that’s it then, you’re choosing them over me?”

“I’m not choosing anyone, you’re making the choice. Either stay with the family, or go.”

“Fine.” Gabriel could hear the anger building in his brother’s throat.

Chuck left and Gabriel emerged as Luke moved over to his closet. “What’re you going to do?”

"What else?” Luke pulled out two bags and threw them on the bed, “He’s given me one hell of a choice.”

 Gabriel watched as Luke added items to the mostly full bags, “You’re already packed?”

“Yeah kiddo. I mean, I’m going to college soon so I had to be ready to leave. No way in hell I’m going to the same school as Golden Boy Michael. I’ve got some cash saved up, my own car, and a few scholarship offers Dad doesn’t know about. I’m home-free.”

Luke zipped up one bag and slung it over his shoulder. As he reached for the second, Gabriel threw his arms around his brother, “No! Who’s going to watch The Three Stooges with me? And prank Michael? What if you get hurt? What if I miss you?” His shoulders started shaking. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Aw Gabe,” Luke came down to Gabriel’s level and held his little brother close, “I’m sorry, but I have to go. You’ll be alright, ok? In fact, you’re probably better off without me getting you into trouble with our pranks. Who knows, you may even join a sports team.” They both managed to laugh at that. “Ok, probably not. Just don’t get shipped off to military school or something for taking the jokes too far. Not everyone has our incredible sense of humor. And keep up the good grades. I know school sucks but it’ll be easier to deal with if you keep giving your best effort, that way no can tell you you’re not trying. And don’t let anyone try to tell you who you are.”

“How am I going to remember all that if you’re not here to remind me?”

“I have something to give you for just that purpose,” Gabriel didn’t let go but Luke turned to the nightstand and picked up a coyote figurine he’d picked up on a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Luke and Gabriel had both stood on the edge and howled into the echo. Dad had rolled his eyes but neither he nor Michael had told them off. When Gabe had pointed out the figurine in the souvenir shop, Luke had said he had to get it. Its head was thrown back in a howl, a perfect reminder of one of the few times they’d all felt like a family in a long time. Up till now Gabriel had always seen it as a proud creature, strong and independent, but now it looked mournful, crying out into the night. “Here,” Luke passed him the wooden creature, “he’ll keep an eye on you for me.” He wiped a tear off Gabriel’s cheek and stood up. “Take care of yourself, Trickster.”

Gabriel said nothing as Luke ruffled his hair and grabbed the other bag, discreetly wiping a hand across his face as he walked out. After a minute, Gabe followed and stood at the top of the stairs while Luke grabbed some jackets out of the closet. Now that the first tear had fallen, Gabriel didn’t even try to hold back the rest that ran down his cheeks.

Dad came into the front hall with Michael and Mary, “So you’ve made your decision?”

“Well you didn’t leave me much of a choice. It’s either get out now or stick around with your whore and her bastard son.”

“Lucius-”

“Don’t even bother trying to pull the full name card on me, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Luke,” Mary’s voice got everyone’s attention, “I know you’re upset with me, and with your father, but is that really any reason to take it out on Adam? Don’t you even want to meet your brother?”

“I honestly really don’t.”

Chuck turned to Michael, “Help him pack the car.” Without waiting for a response, he put his arm around Mary’s shoulders and went back to the kitchen.

Michael picked up Luke’s second bag, “I can’t believe it’s come to this,” he said.

“Neither can I.” Luke huffed, “I really wish it hadn’t happened this way.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Then what are we doing? Why is this happening?”

“You know why, Luke. Dad had no choice after what you did.”

“After what  _I_  did? Do you really think this is  _my_ fault?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it: Dad  _made_  this happen. He  _wanted_ that other family.”

“So?”

“So why? And why make us choose? What’s the point?”

“What’s  _your_ point?”

“We’re brothers, let’s just walk way.”

“I can’t do that. You heard Dad, he gave the order.”

“But you don’t have to follow it.”

“You think I’m going to rebel?” Michael huffed in disbelief, “I’m not like you.”

“Please, Michael.”

“You’re unbelievable! You blame everyone but yourself. We could’ve been happy, Luke, but  _you_  made Dad do this.”

“No one makes Dad do anything; he’s doing this to us.” Luke snatched his bag, “So long, brother.” The door slammed and he was gone.

Gabriel was still standing at the top of the stairs, the tears finally gone. Michael either didn’t see him or didn’t say anything, just walked back to the kitchen. He wiped his face before going downstairs. Dad, Mary, Adam, and his remaining brother, were all sitting at the kitchen table.

When Chuck saw Gabriel standing in the doorway he jumped to his feet, “Gabriel!”

“I’m not calling her Mom.”

Five years later, he ran as far as he could and didn’t look back.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my Creative Writing class last year and decided to post it for feed back from other SPN fans
> 
> Raphael was in the original draft but was written out after a friend (who doesn't watch the show) recommended I do so


End file.
